Holy Roman Empire (V): Otto III
14. Otto III
Otto III (July 980 – 23 January 1002) was King of East Francia (reigned 983–1002) and Roman Emperor (996–1002). Son of Otto II. Before the pro-government of 995, he was regent by his mother Diofano and grandmother Adelaide.
Otto III entered Italy in 996 and made his cousin Gregory V pope, who became the first German pope in history. Gregory V was then crowned Otto III (21 May).
Otto III was obsessed with restoring the Roman Empire and was stationed in Italy for a long time. In 1001, Otto III withdrew from Italy after a riot by the Roman citizens. He died in Italy the following year.
Otto III's father died in southern Italy, and shortly after the battle against the Byzantine Empire and the Emirate of Sicily, Otto III was crowned King of Germany in 983 at the age of three. Although he was the nominal ruler of Germany at the time, Otto III's secondary status ensured that his various regents held the power of the empire. His cousin, The Duke of Bavaria, Henry II, initially claimed regency over the young king and attempted to seize the throne in 984. When his rebellion failed to gain the support of the German nobility, Henry II was forced to abandon his claim to the throne and was forced to hand over regency to Otto III's mother, Diofano, until his death in 991. Otto III was a child at the time, so his grandmother, Adelaide, served as regent until 994.
In 996, Otto III traveled to Italy to inherit the titles of King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor, which had remained unsung since the death of Otto II in 983. Otto III also tried to regain imperial control of Rome. Pope Crescentius II raised an army to rebel. Otto III quelled the Rebellion in Rome and deposed Crescentius II, crowning his cousin Ann as the new pope, Gregory V, the first German pope in history. After Emperor Otto III pardoned Cressendius II and left the city, Kressentius II rebelled again, deposing Gregory V and installing John XVI as pope. Otto III returned to Rome in 998 to quell the rebellion, reinstated Gregory V, and executed Crescentius II and John XVI. When Gregory V died in 999, Otto III crowned Sylvester II as the new pope. Otto III's lifelong actions further strengthened the Empire's control over Catholicism.
From the beginning of his reign, Otto III faced invasions by the Slavs on the eastern border. After the death of their father in 983, the Slavs rebelled against Imperial rule, forcing the Empire to abandon its territory east of the Elbe. Otto III fought to recover the lost territories of the Empire throughout his reign. In the east, Otto III strengthened the Empire's relations with Poland, Bohemia, and Hungary. In 1000, through his affairs in Eastern Europe, he expanded the influence of Christianity by supporting missionary work and coronations in Poland. Stephen I was the first Christian king of Hungary.
Otto III returned to Rome in 1001 and faced a rebellion by the Roman nobility, forcing him to flee the city. Otto, while marching into the city in 1002, suddenly developed a fever and died at the age of 21 at the Castle Paterno in Faleria. He had no clear heir, but his early death plunged the empire into a political crisis.
15. Henry II
Saint Henry II (German: Heinrich II; 6 May 972 – 13 July 1024), the last Holy Roman Emperor of the Otto dynasty (1014–1024). He was also King of Germany (1002–1024), King of Italy (1004–1024) and Duke of Bavaria (995–1005). He was canonized by Pope Eugene III in 1146 for his efforts to reform the church and assist in missionary work, and for founding many parishes and building several convents.
(1) King of Germany (1002)
Henry II was the son of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria (known as the "Strong Debater"), grandson of Henry I, and cousin of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor. His father rebelled against Otto II twice, leaving him in exile at a young age and having since childhood turned to the church for protection. In 995, his father died, and he succeeded his father to the Cunigunde of Luxembourg, daughter of the Marquis of Luxembourg.
In 1002, Henry II led his army to support his predecessor Emperor Otto III, who had suffered a coup d'état in Italy, but before he could arrive, Otto III died suddenly of illness. On the way back to Aachen, through Bavaria, Otto III's coffin was about to threaten the Archbishop of Cologne, Heribert of Cologne, who was in charge of the escort, to hand over the Emperor's keepsakes (including crowns, swords and, most importantly, holy lances), but these souvenirs were delivered in advance to herman II of Swabia, the next emperor of the Archbishop's favor. In the absence of a keepsake, Henry failed to gain the support of other nobles. Two weeks later at the funeral of Otto III, Henry tried again, but equally failed. Finally, he asked bishop Mainz to crown himself as "King of Germany". He was the first German king after Otto I not to ascend the throne in Aachen and not to be elected by the nobility.
Henry continued to lobby or recruit other German nobles for the next two years. In 1003, the nobles of northern Bavaria rebelled, and Henry deposed him, and later established the diocese of Bamberg in his territory, handing over secular power to the bishops of the diocese to prevent another rebellion. Since Henry himself had royal blood, he eventually gained the support of most of the nobility.
(2) Holy Roman Emperor (1014)
Henry II's reign was constantly interfered with by powerful opponents, both German and foreign. He first entered Italy in 1004 to avoid the title of King of Italy from falling into the hands of someone other than the Emperor. After the victory, Henry II was officially crowned King of Italy in Pavia. In 1014, he re-entered Italy, where Pope Benedict VIII crowned him Emperor of the Roman Empire.
(3) Religious life
Henry II was influenced by his mother from an early age and by St. Wolfkan, Bishop of Ladisbourne. The teachings of Wolfgang of Regensburg have deep roots in the Christian life and have aspired to ordination since childhood. Later, he married the equally devout Gu Naigong, and the two sides still agreed to treat each other as brothers and sisters and keep their virginity for life.
After Pope Benedict VIII crowned him in 1014, Henry assisted the Church fully, giving a great deal of his wealth to the Church, building churches and monasteries widely, and funding missionary causes in the dioceses. He followed the example of Otto I and accorded the bishop and the abbot the same courtesy as the earl.
In 1021, on Henry's way out for Byzantium, he suddenly fell seriously ill at the Benedictine Monastery of Monte Cassino, and the group of doctors was helpless. So he asked St. Benedict to pray for him, and miraculously he was healed.
Henry governed the country while devoting himself to the study of holiness. He was very fond of monastic life and longed to leave home to practice, but was always rejected by the monastery. He was later included as an oblate by the Abbey of Saint-Vanne in Verdun and went to Cluny Tonic to become a monk. He promised the dean that he would obey the dean's leadership in the future, and the dean said to him, "Very well, since you obey my leadership." Whatever I have sent you to do, you should do, and now I have sent you to govern the country. ”
Henry's most outstanding achievement was the creation of a new parish in Bamberg, which he planned to make into a Christian cultural center in the Germanic region. He was very zealous and went out of his way to sponsor the revival of the convent and to straighten out ecclesiastical discipline, to emphasize the celibacy of the priesthood, and to do everything in his power to bring his rule into line with the benevolent spirit of Christ.
(4) Died (1024)
Henry died in 1024, and although he did not leave any major political problems, he and his wife Gu Naigong also left no heirs, and the Otto dynasty ended. Henry II's only daughter was Agatha of Germany.
(5) Canonization
Pope Eugene III canonized him as a saint in 1146 and proclaimed him the patron of all those who gave his life, with the ceremony (commemoration date) on 13 July. The Benedictines also enshrined him as the patron of the congregation. His wife Gu Naigong was also canonized as a saint by Pope Enoch III on 29 March 1200.